THE CHINESE QUESTION. (By "A TRAVELLER.") To THE EDITOR. DEAR SIR.-My letter last week, I think, wound up with the domestic ser- vant craze, and I now proceed to tackle " Fair Play 'from another stand-point, that in which the merchants and store keepers are singled out. " Fair Play " says : " There are two other points, one is that European storekeepers complain that the Chinese storekeepers take away their trade. But why is this 1 Because the Chinese are satisfied with a moderate profit, which Europeans are not." He then proceeds with one or two figurative quotations from South to substantiate the latter portion of thc above statement This feature of the question is, no doubt, one of its most important ones, and it is not confined solely to wholesale and re- tail business, but gradually leads from one thing into another. I will not - attempt to deny that the European; storekeepers here do obtain a large profit on many of the articles sold by them ; but I fancy I can make a pretty f...

To THE EDITOR. SIR.-Abont a month or six weeks since when I was acting as yonr Beefs corres- pondent I was subjected to some very severe personal insults by an anonymous correspondent to tho columns of your con- temporary, signing himself "TJ.V.W." It has also Been hinted at in the columns of the Ñ. T. TIMES, and stated in the South Australian IÍKOISTEB. that a criminal : action was pending between the officers of' the Postal and Telegraph department OH plaintiffs and myself as defendant, in coiv noction with certain remarks I made usc ot with regard to the irregularities which had occurred in the working of those depart- ments, and which were tho cause of serious, inconvenience to thc residents in> the out-, lying districts. I may mention: that so far I have not received any substantial' proof' that these published threats had any foundation* except thtó wliich> had its existence in the imagination, of'one oe two of the officers. I herewith repeat that these errors were of so...

" " " THE Korti Australian NEWSPAPER ~ af ï Is Printed every Friday Evening, . 7. y ^ \ AT 7 ' PALMEBSTON, PORT DARWIN, 8.Á and circulates at v Palmerston, Southport, Port Danrin Camp, Twelve-Mile, Pine Creek, Tam Creek,. Union, Shackle, Howley, and all other centres of population in the Northern. Territory, besides having a large Intercolonial Circulation. It Contains A tme report of all local events, weekly Telegrams, Shipping Intelligence, - ? Clippings from our latest files, ¿ and a weekly supply of UPoiINTBT MINING Ann GENERAL NEWS . contributed by our Special Correspondent. N Owing to its Great Circulation, A the NORTH AUSTRALIAN ia IT O an Excellent Medium S for the use of all T R R ADVERTISERS, A T L whether Colonial I H Intercolonial, English, A or Foreign, TEBX8 OF SUBSCRIPTION : £ s. d. Per Quarter... ... 6 0 Per Annum (advance) 10 0 " " (booked)... 1 5 0 The above figures include postage to any part of Australia, but 5s, per annum is added for postage to England or forei...

MISCELLANEOUS. Imeson &amp;. Sons, boot manufacturers of Middlesborough, failed recently for £250,000. The Governor of the Liverpool Work- house absconded, leaving defalcations ' to the extent of £5000. Edward Tattersall, a London solicitor has been sent to gaol for misappropriating £3,000 trust funds. - A disgraceful attack was made at Limerick recently on several Jewish families. Their houses were stoned, and several inmates seriously injured. Two London boys who were "mates' in marbles, lost in a game with two others, whereupon one turned on the other for bringing him " bad luck " and kicking him in the side, killed him on the spot. A youth named Mitchell, aged IC, suc- cessfully forged a cheque for £650 on his master a cattle dealer at Aberdeen. He absconded and after buying a £40 gold watch for his 15 year old sweetheart, wanted her to elope with him. Mrs. Acklam, the wife of a retired farmer, was recently committed to Hull Gaol for one month, for having grossly assaulted h...

RECONCILED BY DEATH. Airs. UlUer, the unhappy , woman, whose ... erratic conduct in New York, during life brought sorrow and death in its wake, was quietly given decent Christian burial on the 15th February. She died poor and friend- less, her own kin having even apparently deserted her. Her body lay in the dead house of the New York Hospital, and there was a prospect that she would fill a pauper's . : grave. J. Clement Uhler, the husband from whom she had been separated for three : years, hearing of her death through the papers, reached New York and claimed the . right to bury her, ' He explained his errand J': to the physician in charge, and the atten- dant was sent with a lantern to conduct . them to the dead-house in a back cellar. The body lay as it had been left after the autopsy, but covered by a sheet. Mr. ' Uhler lifted the cloth from the face and said :-" It is the body of my wife, though so changed since I last saw her, three years ago, that I would not have known it but ...

Woman Items. The Empress of Austria, one of the best equestriennes in the world; takes equal care of her health and her figure. * Mrs. Frank Leslie, who came into a for- tune at the death of her husband, through the success of Frank Leslie's Newspaper, is to marry the Marquis of Leóville.sonof Madame Tassaud, of waxworks fame. The late Madame Anna Bishop sang in 10 or 15 languages, and when in Moscow success- fully sang the part of Alice in " Robert le Diable " in the vernacular. She probably sang before a larger number of people than any other artist who ever lived. The late actress, Josephine Gallmeyer, refused on a certain occasion to appear in a new piece. Her manager thereupon showed her the con- tract which she had made with bim, and which nothing could break but death or marriage. To spite him, she married on the very next day the most unprepossessing and nearly useless member of her company-a man whom she never shook hands with before or after. Notwithstanding her -burge ear...

Wit &amp; Humour: A grand-stand is a racing fixture. Fashions that didn't take at the Nepean long trains. The American Dead Letter Department is nicknamed " Botany Bay." "How's your mother-in-law to-day?" " No improvement either way." Always pick up a counterfeit coin. If yon-try to pass it you'll be arrested. Blacksmiths are always on strike. A lot of them just now haven't anything to heat, Dogs don't reason, but they go straight for a conclusion when they seize a fellow by the coat-tail. Another insult from la : belle France : "They say 'Dynamiteurs,' while the proper word is ' O'Dynamitêrs.' " A French single woman, of 47, who won a lottery prize recently of £40,000, received 1200 offers of marriage within 14 days. 7 An immigrant by the last vessel to Sydney complained that in his part of the ship there wasn't, standing room enough for them to lie down, " Schools and tools," says a philosopher, "will civilize the world." Not, we should say, schools of politicians and tools of...

THINGS AND OTHERS. As article on the township of Brenda has been held over till next issue. A- PICNIC by invitation has been ar- ranged' to take place on board the as. Palmerston to-morrow, particulars of which will appear in our next. PER favor of the Telegraph Office we learn that 1200 head of cattle and 50 torses arrived at the Elsey yesterday EX BOUTS for the Alligator River, R. P. Davys in charge. The owners are Messrs. Acre and Suttor. WE understand that the Government ceremonies passed off merrily enough on Monday and Tuesday last, the former day being set apart for a lgvee, 'and the latter for the annual dinner. By the way, the annual ceremonies appear to have changed lately, as the usual "flare- up" consisted of a dance, and only occu- pied a few hours at night, whereas now a levee takes place on one day and a dinner occupies the evening of the next. MESSRS. P. R. Allen &amp; Co's. sX Fleet wing left one day this week for the Victoria River with a cargo of stores - and ...

Woman Items. Girls who play tennis are said to be all for lawn. The great powers of the earth-England and woman. Yon can flatter an old maid by calling her " a matchless woman." " This is unspeakable agony, " said the woman who was left alone. ' " This doll ma'm is like the sex : You can make it sing by squeezing it." A Brisbane masher who married a girl thinking she'd one prove a millionaire, has found her out to be milliner. Widows and unmarried women have power to vote in Nova Scotia. Married women are represented by their husbands. Eight good sledge dogs is the price of a wife in Siberia, but in Maitland, Sydney, or Bris- bane you can, any day, get.one for a puppy. An English woman at Cairo-who she is, has not been stated-offered a reward of £20,000 for the release of General Gordon from Khartoum. A woman who had suffered from a hus- band's neglect, traced him to a tavern, where he was playing cards with several companions. . Setting a covered dish down upon the table.she said :...

Personal. Colonel Mapleson made £15,000 clear by thirteen weeks Opera in Californian cities. Gambetta's grave is still covered with funeral wreaths and bushels of visiting cards are placed on his gravestone. Fronde, the. historian, is on his voyage to Australia, via the United States. He will lecture in all the principal cities. Mr. Edward Costley, of New Zealand, recently deceased, left to various charities £84,000. Each charity receives about £1200. Bismarck is said to eat once every three days. The man who contracted at a German water- ing place to provide him with two meals a week, is dead. The health of Mr. Wright, Minister for Works, in New South Wales, is in sdeh a shattered condition, that he may be compelled to resign his office. It is said that Herbert Spencer, has already left. England for Australia, but has taken passage by a saning vessel to ensure a long sea voyage. Baker Pasha is to be restored to his posi- tion in the Imperial service. He has already been reinstated ...

Political. The Egyptian war has cost England so far, £100,000 per man killed. There is talk of the Grey and Atkinson parties in New Zealand polities uniting. Bismarck still successful. The German Parliament declines the proposal for a responsible Ministry. The New Zealand Premier strenuously opposes a land, and income tax, but. favours one on property. French gold is said to be corrupting the leading, authorities of Canton, with the view to future designs. An amendment is proposed in the Ameri- can jury law, which will legalise a three-fourths verdict, and render it optional with the jury to take the law from the Bench. Mr. Miles, the Works Minister of Queens- land, says his Government proposes to push along a six million loan, to inaugurate a vigorous works system. Mr. Miles might consult Sir Julias Vogel how to go about it. Mr. Griffith told the Cooktown people just recently, that the man who could solve the labour question would be the greatest benefactor the colony ever had. It'...

THE WEEK'S EVENTS. -? . A number of Brisbane immigrants com .-? : plain-not only of bad food on the voyagé of the Otago, but of " bad cook " also. And they say that one woman was killed with ' an overdose of laudanum. It was most probably an overdose of food. The hub- bub will however, do good, if it shows that niggardly ship charterers can't treat a lot of human beings as dumb animals. At the game time we are forced to remark that the - average immigrant is much sought after by the noble mosquito. Seldom has there been such a sudden and tragic affair as the death of Kenyon, town clerk of Balranald, who suicided a few . days ago. It came out in court, that there was an evident error or falsification in that official's books, and an inspection following, deficiencies and false entries to the extent of over £300 were discovered The prosecu- tion of ; Kenyon was decided upon, and the Mayor accompanied the sergeant of Police to his residence for the purpose of effecting an arrest. Kenyo...

TOPICS OF THE DAY. The EVENING NEWS says:-"Mr. Stir- ling quite echoes Australian feeling in writ . ing of the apathy of Lord Derby respecting New Guinea and the French convicts." -Thus by degrees do the true sentiments of the Australian people- become misrepre- sented. The S. M. HERALD, EVENING - NEWS, SYDNEY TELEGBAPH, The MELBOURNE ABGUS, The MELBOURNE ÂGE, and BRISBANE COUBIEB have vied with each other in advo- cating, if not demanding, the annexation of New Guinea ; while, with regard to the French criminal question and the control ' of the South Pacific, they have endeavoured to represent the Australian people as com- pletely gone on the most impudent and hollowest scheme ever projected for a . nation. The truth is the Australian colonies have exhibited thorough indifference to the annexation proposal, having more seaboard than they can protect, and more territory than they can populate for years to come. And ic is palpable that with regard to the South Pacific Islands, the gr...

The Eastern Produce Market. MESSES. ROBERT HARPER k CO.'S BUSINESS. THESE ig one house in Sydney to which the country storekeeper, station- proprietor, or the private resident may go in the full certainty of being liberally and farly dealt with in the matter of Eastern Produce. And that this ia a matter of concern is proved by the increased watchfulness at the various colonial custom houses rendered necessary by the wholesale importation ana shipments of inferior and adulterated food which is carried on under the heading Eastern Produce. Last year the Customs authorities at New York, cost ont into refuse heaps, 283 tons of so-sailed tea ; and in London, at Me!, bourne, Sydney, and Brisbane the detection of adulterated shipments has been in proportion. But the adulteration is by no means confined to tea. The process of deceptive manufacture is carried on with coffee, rice, pepper, oat meal, ic. Two months ago, a leading London Scientist informed the world that nearly two-thirds of th...

Insurance of Live Stock. One of the most extraordinary fects in connec- tion with pastoral and agricultural pursuits in the colonies, has been the non-existence of a system of Insurance of Live Stock. For years past enterprising men have been found ready to in- vest thousands of pounds in the improvement of stud stock, but the investment has been at tremen- dous risks, and in innumerable cases, have been attended by heavy losses. Now, however, a move- ment has been made in Sydney to alter this anoma- lous condition of affairs, and no doubt, the move- ment will win the heartiest support from graziers and stock owners-and stock breeders in all parts of the interior of three colonies. A company is in process of formation, the title of which is the N.S.W. Live Stock Insurance Company Limited. The capital is £15,000, with power to increase the amount. The shares are £1 each ; 2s. Gd on appli- cation ; 2s. Gd. on allotment ; and ls. per share at intervals of one month. The balance of 10s....

Telegraphic Rews. R- * (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT) ADELAIDE. JULY ll. The publie funeral of Judge Andrews took place yesterday, amidst the greatest solemnity, and attended by a very large number of 'the late respected judge's friends. The event created the greatest concern here. : Both the Houses of : Parliament adjourned on Tuesday till . to-day, and all ' the Government offices were closed at noon. There were sixty five'carriages in the procession, the first being the Governors, followed by all the judges, members of the Government, and numerous leading colonists. The Bishop and Archdeacon Marryat performed the service at Christchurch Cathedral. The steamer John Elder arrived here yesterday. The Northern Territory Customs Bill was read a second timé on Tuesday. . The abolition of the gold duty is to be . reconsidered-on' Tuesday next. An Act to repeal the Jubilee Exhi- bition Bill has been read for the first time. Mr. Grainger, M.P. for Wallaroo, caused some laughter in the House...

COURTS. Full Jurisdiction, £400, is held at Pal- merston, on Wednesday, as per following dates :-On September 5, October 3, November 7, December 5. Limited Jurisdiction, £20, will be held on September 19, October 17, November 14, and December 19. Licensing 3ench, on Tuesday, Septem- ber ll, and December ll. I

Great Galvanised Iron and Wire Netting Works. INFLUX OF ENGLISH CAPITAL k ENTERPRISE. Certainly not the least important commercial event of the first twelve months in the Australian colonies, is the establishment at Sydney of a great central manufacturing branch of the mammoth firm of John Lysanght of (Limited), Bristol, England. This firm hos for years oc- cupied a place in the foremost rank of British manufac- turers, and it doubtless can be said that their enterprise has helped to weld the marvellous commercial bond of unity existing between the mother country and her depen cies, and it is satisfactory to find this bond doily becoming more strengthened by the transfer to the colonies of that enterprise and capital which have distinguished the modern centre of the world's industry. -Messrs. Lysanght (Limited) carry on business at Bristol-a limited liability company of £500,000, having been formed by the founder to take over and develope the whole business. During the last fifteen ...

COUNTRY MINING AND GENERAL NEWS. The Extended Union Co. started pumping from their new shaft last week and the work is going on very well. The work of driving to cut the reef has now been commenced. Messrs.-McIntyre and Delmar's reef is now about 12ft. wide, and is looking extremely well. Since it was discovered (about four months ago) they have put through the mill at the Extended 114 tons of stone, which yielded 189oz. 4dwts. This is no doubt a grand pro- perty, and the owners are deserving of good luck for the persevering manner in which they have stuck to the work. I hope it will fully realise all expectations. From Pine Creek I hear that Winn's claim crushed 8 tons of quartz for 14oz. gold ; also that a third share has changed hands for £100. Mr. Daniels, at Mount "Wells, has struck water in the shaft at 42ft. A fine dam was first made in the gully, but unfortunately the ground was of a slaty formation, and all the water ' soon evaporated. It is now the intention of Mr. Daniels...